Where Your Next Great Escape Begins
You made it—and we’re so glad you’re here! Each month at Novel Pairings, we curate a vibe-filled experience that combines your love of stories, your curiosity about wine, and your craving for meaningful connection.
Here’s what we’re sipping, reading, and listening to in October
Mark Your Calendar: Our October Book Club meets Thursday, Oct. 30 at 5 p.m. PT
The Book: Mexican Gothic
by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
When glamorous socialite Noemí Taboada receives a frantic letter from her newlywed cousin, she leaves the bright whirl of 1950s Mexico City behind for the shadowed halls of High Place, a decaying mansion in the misty countryside. What awaits her there is a world of gothic opulence and unsettling silence—walls that seem to breathe, secrets that refuse to stay buried, and a family with a past as haunting as the house itself.
Drawn deeper into the mansion’s labyrinth of whispers, Noemí’s sharp wit and fearless curiosity become her only defense against forces that are as seductive as they are sinister. Dreams blur with reality, the past tangles with the present, and every room threatens to reveal a truth more chilling than the last.
Rich in atmosphere, intoxicatingly eerie, and laced with slow-burn dread, Mexican Gothic is a modern classic of the genre: a story of courage, inheritance, and the strange beauty of horror dressed in velvet and lace. It’s a book that lingers—like perfume and candle smoke in an empty room—long after you’ve closed the final page.
The Wine: Syrah
Why Syrah + Mexican Gothic?
Syrah is a wine that thrives in intensity—dark fruit, black pepper spice, smoky undertones, and an almost brooding complexity. It’s bold, gothic, and layered, just like Moreno-García’s novel.
Mexican Gothic is steeped in mystery, unease, and lush atmosphere: crumbling mansions, creeping decay, and a heroine piecing through generations of secrets. Syrah mirrors that mood perfectly—its dark berry richness and savory, earthy notes evoke the damp halls of High Place, while its peppery spice cuts through the tension like a gasp in the dark.
It’s also a wine that can feel a little unsettling in the best way—dense, powerful, and hard to pin down—making it the perfect companion for a book that blends gothic horror with Mexican folklore.
A World of Syrah
Syrah is a shape-shifter. Depending on where it’s grown, it can be peppery and savory, plush and jammy, or smoky and mysterious. Here’s a quick taste tour:
Northern Rhône (France):– The classic home of Syrah. Expect dark berries, black pepper, and a hint of smoked meat. Structured, age-worthy, and super elegant. Think Côte-Rôtie, Hermitage or Cornas—but they can be pricey!
Australia (Here they call it Shiraz): Big and bold! Barossa Valley brings ripe black fruit, chocolate, and spice, while cooler regions (like Yarra Valley) lean fresher and pepper-driven, though still very full-bodied.
California: Plush and fruit-forward in Paso Robles, smoky and peppery in Sonoma. A little sunshine in every sip.
Washington state: The best of both worlds: bold fruit with savory edges. Think blackberry, espresso, and a hint of cured meat.
South Africa: Smoky, peppery, and coastal fresh. Some bottles taste Old World savory, others New World ripe—it’s a choose-your-own adventure.
Chile: Don’t sleep on these wines! Juicy red and black fruit with a fresh, herbal note and a touch of salinity from the Pacific breezes.
✨ The takeaway: Old World Syrahs (France) are earthy and savory. New World Syrahs (Australia, California, Washington, Chile) bring more fruit and power. Both are delicious—you just have to decide what mood you’re in.
Feel like splurging? Try this INCREDIBLE Syrah from Mi Sueño Winery in Napa. Translated from Spanish, Mi Sueño means “my dream,” and founder Rolando Herrera has been pouring his heart and soul into this brand for decades. Read my write-up about Herrera and his winery in Wine Business Monthly, here.
Mexican Gothic: A Haunted Soundtrack
Step into the decaying corridors and lush gardens of Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s Mexican Gothic with this chillingly beautiful playlist. Equal parts eerie and enchanting, it drifts through ghostly melodies, Latin soul, and gothic pop—mixing haunting voices like Chelsea Wolfe, Agnes Obel, and Dead Can Dance with the familiar pull of Billie Eilish, Lana Del Rey, Florence + The Machine, The Weeknd, and Lorde. Designed to echo the novel’s atmosphere of secrets, whispers, and slow-building dread, this soundtrack is perfect for late-night reading, candlelight rituals, or losing yourself in the shadows of a house that doesn’t want to let you go.
The Tunes
This is YOUR Space
This membership is your invitation to pause, unplug, and pour into yourself. Whether you come for the books, the wine, or the community, you’ll leave feeling a little lighter, a little more fulfilled—and ready to come back for more.